This bad boy is about to get played…After getting her heart broken by a player again, Whitney Porter is done with men. She’s focusing on her future career and her first assignment at the college newspaper: Posing as a sports writer for an exposé on the extra perks jocks receive. But Hudson Decker, the bad boy of the hockey team, is about to test her resolve. To keep herself from breaking her no-sex rule with the temptingly tattooed athlete, she decides to use him for a side project: Anatomy of a Player, to help Whitney—and women everywhere—spot a player, learn what makes him tick, and how to avoid falling for one.With his life spiraling out of control, Hudson Decker’s looking for a distraction. When his teammates bet him that he can’t land the gorgeous but prickly new reporter, he accepts the challenge, boasting he’ll have her in bed by the end of the semester. But Whitney is so much more than Hudson expected, and soon enough, he’s in too deep. The last thing he needs is another complication, but staying away isn’t an option. One thing’s for certain: this girl totally throws him off his game.

Excerpt

The
dinosaurs on the back edge of his desk caught my eye, and I moved over to them.
I’d assumed they’d be more toy-like, but while they were plastic, the tiny
intricate details were closer to a model or miniature museum exhibit than a
toy. I reached for one, then hesitated. “Is it okay if I pick it up?”

Hudson’s forehead crinkled. “Yeah.
I’m not super weird about them or anything.”

When I lifted it, though, he said,
“Just be careful with the right leg. It came loose in my last move, and I
haven’t fixed it yet.” The smile I attempted to smother refused to keep itself
on the down low, and a hint of exasperation crept into his expression. “I think
the fact that I haven’t fixed it yet
proves I’m not super weird about them.” He gave my shoulder a little shove. “I
should’ve just let the leg come loose, then you’d feel bad and stop poking
fun.”

I pushed him back, a flutter going
through me when my hand pressed against his rock-hard arm. “Stop shoving me or
you’ll be the one who breaks it.”

After a mini stare-down that only
made the butterflies spread from my stomach to my chest, I ran my finger over
the rough “skin” of the dinosaur. Then I moved to feel its sharp teeth. Between
the fangs and the funky crest thing on its head, it did look pretty badass—not
that I’d tell Hudson that. Yet.

“What kind of dinosaur is it?” I
asked.

Hudson sat on the edge of the desk
and crossed his legs at the ankle, the hurt one on top. “Dilophosaurus.”

“Give me some fun facts.”

He was rather reluctant about it, so
I lifted the dinosaur in front of my face and lent my voice to it. “Come on.
You know everything about me. Are you seriously going to play dumb to impress a
girl?”

Hudson shook his head—and there was
even an eye roll—but a grin slowly worked its way across his lips. “They’re
early Jurassic Period dinosaurs, they were most likely piscivorous, and—”

“Wait. I don’t know what the
piscivorous thing means.”

“That they ate fish. Their teeth
aren’t quite big enough for taking down larger prey”—he pointed at the
needle-like teeth and then moved his finger up to the holes next to the orange
crest on its skull—“and they have retracted nasal openings. Plus they’ve found
swim tracks that indicate as much.”

I grinned, and he reached out and
pinched my side. “Stop it.”

“Stop what?”

“Looking at me like I’m adorable.”
He circled the air between him and the dino. “I’m badass, my dinosaurs are
badass.”

I placed my hand on the desk next to
his leg and leaned in. “I’ve seen you play hockey. I know all about how badass
you are.” He was also adorable, though—especially right now—and I couldn’t
resist leaning in and giving him a kiss.

He lifted his hand and cupped my cheek,
holding me captive in his gaze for a few seconds before returning his lips to
mine. The kiss wasn’t nearly as intense as our first—just a little bit of lips
and tongue, without the full-body contact—but it still sent desire thrumming
through my veins.

“Okay, so how big is it?” I asked.

“Are we still talking about the
dinosaur?”

I gasped, and he laughed, the full
deep sound echoing through my chest and sending my pulse off and running again.

USA Today Bestselling author Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting, revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she'd be even crazier. She has way too many shoes but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they're sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children.Visit her at www.cindimadsen.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter and learn about upcoming releases.Cindi is the author of YA books All the Broken Pieces, Cipher, Rift, Resolution, and Demons of the Sun, and adult romances Falling for Her Fiancé, Act Like You Love Me, Resisting the Hero, Cinderella Screwed Me Over and Ready to Wed.